Carpet-stretcher



(No M61181.

J. E. DRAKE.

CARPET STRETGHER. No. 591,826. Patented 001;. 19,1897.

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JOSEPH E. DRAKE, OF BLUE RAPIDS, KANSAS.

CARPET-STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,826, dated October 19, 1897.

Application filed November 20, 1896. Serial No. 612,885. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J osnrn E. DRAKE, of Blue Rapids, in the county of Marshall and State of Kansas, have invented a new and- Improved Carpet-Stretcher, of which the fol- I lowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in carpet-stretchers,havin g for its object the providing of a better means for grasping the carpet to pull thereon than the use of points, and providing means for temporarily holding the carpet after the slack has been taken up and until the edge can be nailed down.

The invention also consists of details in the construction by which its operation is made convenient and rapid.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my device. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation showing the carpet in place, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view through the tack-bar.

My invention consists of a body-piece A, having a carpet-clamping device upon one edge, a tack-bar adjacent thereto for temporarily holding the carpet, and a sliding rackbar movable with relation to' the body-piece and having an arm pivoted thereto for engaging the floor to take the strain of the pull;

The body-piece A has a clamping-bar D, pivoted to the front edge thereof by hinges D. The forward edge of the body-piece is beveled, so as to leave a narrow portion on the under edge thereof to engage the carpet. This beveling leaves a recess for the reception of the fold of the carpet caused by the engaging of the clamp. In engaging the car pet, a fold is made therein over the forward edge of the bodypiece, and the swinging clamping-bar D brought down so as to squeeze the carpet-fold between the bar and the forward edge of the body-piece. It is then held down by means of a button'or arm (1, which is pivoted upon a bolt cl. This securely holds the carpet against any strain which is likely to be put thereon. Just back of this, occupying a groove in the body-piece, lies the tackbar E. This bar is normally held raised slightly above the bottom of its groove by means of a fiat spring E and is provided with a series of tacks or short nails 6, passing through the tack-bar and the body-piece, and of such a length that the spring will hold the points thereof just out of engagement with the carpet. The rise of the tack-bar caused by the spring beneath will be such that when the tacks are driven down they will pass through the carpet and engage the floor sufficiently to hold the carpet securely.

The rear portion of the bodyA has a groove in which is placed the rack-bar B, and. said body and rack-bar are provided with tongues and grooves or other suitable devices for holding the same in place and permitting one to slide relatively to the other. The tongue is indicated by b. The rack-bar B has a metal strip B upon its upper surface formed with a series of ratchet-teeth thereon. The bodypiece has brackets F extending over the rackbar, and to which is pivoted the operating-1ever F. Upon the same pivot is fixed the pawl f, adapted to hold the rack-bar and prevent its backward movement. The lever is also provided with a pawl f pivoted a short distance above the pivot of the lever. This latter pawl is adapted to engage the rack-bar and by the forward movement of the lever to move the bar in the body-piece. To prevent backward movement of the rack-bar with relation to the floor, a curved arm 0 is pivoted to one end of the rack-bar, and at the'opposite end has a point 0, adapted to be driven into the floor to secure the rack-bar. This point C is extended upwardly in a straight line,'forming a punch or head 0 which may be engaged by the hammer to drive the point into the floor. It will be noticed that the engagement of the clamp with the carpet is for the full width of the clamp, and that the carpet is not perforated by a series of points which concentrate the strain in a few places. On the contrary, the strain is evenly distributed over the entire width of the stretcher. This will avoid the trouble caused by the uneven strain, which usually results in tearing the carpet. When the carpet has been stretched up to the desired point, or if the amount of the stretch desired is greater than the capacity of the stretcher at one operation, the carpet may be temporarily secured by driving down the tacks or nails e, thus securing the carpet and enabling the point C to be drawn from the floor and the rack-bar advanced ready for a new pull, or enabling the carpet to be released from the clamp and the edge thereof permanently nailed down. The

width of the carpet-stretcher may be made whatever desired.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination with a body-piece having a clamp consisting of a bar hinged to the upper surface of the body-piece, and adapted to clamp a fold of the carpet between one side edge and the end of the body-piece, of a slide, means for moving the slide and body-piece relative to each other, and an arm pivoted to the slide and having a pointed dog adapted to engage the floor and take the strain, substantially as described.

2. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination with a body-piece having a clamp adapted to engage the carpet, of a slide, means for moving one relative to the other, an arm pivoted to the slide and havingapointed dog adapted to engage the floor and take the strain, and a tack-bar attached to the body-piece and adapted to temporarily secure the carpet to the floor while the clamp is released and the end of the carpetis permanently tacked down, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a carpet-stretcher,- the combination with a clamp and means for moving the same forward to stretch the carpet, of a temporary holding device consisting of a bar attached to one member of the clamp, and provided with a number of tacks adapted to temporarily hold the carpet while the clamp is released and the carpet is permanently secured, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination with a clamp adapted to engage a fold of the carpet, and a temporary holding device attached thereto and adapted to secure the carpet to the floor, of stretching mechanism consisting of a rack-bar a slide movable thereon and carrying one member of the clamp, a lever secured to the rack guide or slide, a pawl on the lever adapted to engage the rack as the lever is reciprocated, and a second pawl on the lever to prevent the return of the rackguide, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination with a body-piece, having a guide for a rackbar, a tack-bar secured to the body-piece, a clamping-bar hinged to the same and a button for securing the clamping-bar, of a rackbar having a sliding engagement with the body-piece, alever pivoted to the body-piece, a pawl on the leverand one on the body-piece, both pawls engaging the rack bar, and a curved arm pivoted to the rack-bar and having a point engaging the floor, substantially as shown and described.

' JOSEPH E. DRAKE.

\Vitnesses:

A. EDWARD WINTER, J. L. ADAMS. 

